What if our food systems reflected their true value, not only what they produce, but how they shape our health, livelihoods, ecosystems, and long-term resilience?
This question was at the heart of a Community of Practice (CoP) Plenary meeting convened earlier this week by the TEEBAgriFood Kenya Project. The engagement brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from national and county governments, the private sector, civil society, research institutions, youth groups, and community-based organisations, all united by a shared commitment to transforming Kenya’s agri-food systems.
The meeting provided a critical platform to deepen understanding of the TEEBAgriFood Framework and the True Value Accounting (TVA) approach. These tools are designed to make visible the often-overlooked environmental, social, and health costs, as well as the broader benefits, of agri-food systems.
By moving beyond conventional measures such as yields, prices, and profits, the framework enables more balanced, evidence-based decision-making. It accounts for the interconnected value of natural, human, social, and produced capital, offering a more comprehensive picture of how food systems truly perform and whom they serve.
Discussions throughout the meeting highlighted the growing pressures facing Kenya’s food systems. Climate change, land and ecosystem degradation, food insecurity, and nutrition-related health challenges are increasingly intersecting, exposing the limitations of traditional approaches to agricultural development.
Participants reflected on why “business as usual” is no longer viable, and how valuation-based approaches such as TVA can help policymakers, investors, and practitioners better understand trade-offs, identify synergies, and prioritise actions that support long-term sustainability and inclusive growth.
Insights from county-level experiences, youth-led research, ecosystem valuation studies, and private-sector perspectives underscored the importance of linking data to lived realities. From county agroecology policies and ecosystem restoration efforts to youth engagement in agriculture and the emergence of nature-positive business models, the discussions demonstrated how the TEEBAgriFood framework can bridge the gap between policy, planning, and practice.
These real-world examples showed that when evidence is grounded in local contexts and communicated effectively, it becomes a powerful tool for action.
A key outcome of the engagement was the shared recognition that coordination, communication, and collaboration are essential for translating evidence into meaningful change. The TEEBAgriFood Kenya Project continues to play a vital role in convening diverse actors, aligning priorities, strengthening institutional linkages, and supporting the mainstreaming of TEEBAgriFood and TVA into national and county planning processes.
As the project progresses, such engagements remain central to building a collective understanding of the true value of food systems, and to advancing resilient, inclusive, and nature-positive agri-food systems that work for people, the economy, and the environment.
Article by Juliet Hinga
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